


Kirkwood Park

by Mastia



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Conjuration, Divination, Fantasy, Gen, Isabel and Eren are Related, M/M, Magic, Platonic Levi/Isabel, Slow Build, They bond over how stupid humans can be, Transfiguration, Warlock Eren, Warlock Levi, Warlocks, Witch Isabel, Witchcraft, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2017-05-26
Packaged: 2018-09-16 17:19:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9281939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mastia/pseuds/Mastia
Summary: Levi is a sixteen-year-old warlock who spends his nights hanging out alone. When he meets a cat who refuses to leave him be, he thinks he might have finally found himself a familiar. He's decided it's fate. Lord knows he deserves it after dealing such a crappy hand as a kid.Little does he know, the feline is more human that it appears.





	1. A Warlock and His Familiar

**Author's Note:**

  * For [strawberry_truffles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberry_truffles/gifts).



> Hey there, everyone! I hope you enjoy this!!! I've wanted to write this fic for a very VERY long time now, and I finally have a little time in between my RP with Myst, my commission from the Nelson-Atkins Museum and school. It's based off of a real park near my friends' house where I go and swing at night. And I love Warlock AUs so it was a perfect match.

It was early October and the chill of wind bit at the exposed flesh on Levi's neck and arms. He shivered as goosebumps formed, wishing silently that his attempts to create a coat would work for once. They didn't, and the sixteen-year-old closed his eyes when the magic burning at his fingertips fizzled out in a puff. The magic rushing up from the earth and through the soles of his feet settled into his veins, warming his blood enough that the even though he didn’t have a coat, he wasn’t shaking as much. He was glad that the magic reacted to him the way it did.

When his parents were still alive and he was still taking lessons under their watch, his mother had explained that magic manifested differently to each individual witch or warlock. It depended on several things, though blood and the person’s mental state were given the most credit. The more open you were to the magic and the supernatural, the more open it would be to you. That was why some people could see spirits and others could not.

The night sky was dark but clear, and the moon's light allowed him to see the swing set as he walked towards it. Levi didn't know exactly why, but he felt freer when he used it, arms outstretched and head tilted back to face the stars. It was a feeling that he'd become addicted to since he'd began living at the orphanage- one that let him forget the gruesome death of his parents and the pain of being alone. With a sigh, he settled into one of the empty seats and rocked gently back and forth.

His eyes scanned the barren park, legs kicking off the ground to speed up, and the warlock only let himself relax when he was finally slicing through the air. He forgot about the cold; he forgot about the insults of his peers. The only thing that managed to linger in his mind was the feeling of being watched, and he frowned when he noticed the cat staring at him from a few feet away. Its eyes were a bright golden color, and they glowed in the dark, as if lit from within.

When the cat didn't leave, Levi dug his heels into the dirt to stop moving. His and the cat's gazes met, and the raven-haired teen shook his head. It wasn't as if he disliked the animal; on the contrary to the harshness in his eyes that made others think he hated anything and everything furry, he had a large soft spot for fluffy creatures with big eyes. He just felt uncomfortable with it watching such an intimate moment. The park had been his safe haven for so long that it felt almost  _ dirty _ to have anyone else there- human or not.

He felt vulnerable.

Levi kicked at a nearby rock hoping to startle the cat into motion, but it didn't even flinch at the noise. Refusing to leave the sanctuary of his seat, the teen let his agitation seep into his aura, knowing that the cat would be able to sense it. All animals could. Even some _ children  _ still connected to their small amount of magic could. Their minds were still open enough, he guessed. Still pure.

He was growing more restless each second and practically growled at the feline when he finally spoke. "Go away. Stupid cat."

Levi's voice was rough from disuse, and his glare could make even the strongest bully piss themselves, but still the cat thought nothing of him. Its eyes seemed to be laughing at him as it stood up and made its way over to sit in front of the swing. It cocked its head to the side, a small, high pitched meow coming from its mouth.

It might have been his lack of sleep, but the raven could hear the question in its tone, as if it was asking what he was doing there so late at night. Then again, he had always been able to understand what animals wanted from him, even when he was small. It was one of his  _ gifts _ . He rolled his eyes, letting his aggression dissolve into nothing.

" _ Tch _ . Well if you aren't going to listen to me, you might as well make yourself comfortable." He rocked his body in the swing.

The cat meowed again, rolling onto its side, belly partially upturned but it was not enough to show total trust. Its tail twitched and flicked from side to side in annoyance, eyes never leaving Levi for a second. Its fur was a dark brown, almost black in the darkness, and it looked soft to the touch. He bet if he ran his fingers over its stomach, it would feel like heaven. Levi wasn't dumb, however, so he refrained from the urge. He wanted to _ keep  _ his fingers, after all. The cat's big eyes shown back up at him, its tail thumping lightly against the ground.

"Don't look at me like that." He chuckled to himself. "I'm too attached to my hand to give it to you as a snack. Ask again when I get a girlfriend. Or boyfriend or whatever. ”

_ Meow? _

“Never mind. Just know that I’m watching you.” Levi narrowed his eyes again when the cat stood up and walked closer to him. When his anxiety peaked, the cat closed its eyes and dropped back down to the floor. It seemed to realize his boundaries and chose not to push his limits any further. It let out a little squeak before purring contentedly to itself.

His eyes softened, watching the display. “If you’re gonna be cute warn a guy, would ya?” The cat made a swiping motion over its head, licking its paws to give itself a bath, and Levi smiled softly. “I used to have a kitty that looked just like you. Her eyes were green, though. She was a maine coon.” The teen paused and looked up at the sky. 

_ Meow? _

“I had to get rid of her when they sent me to the orphanage.” His eyes darted to the cats face, and he shook his head when it looked at him with worry. “I’m okay, now, though. Don’t worry. I’ve had a long time to get over it. It’s been what- eight years?” He shrugged. “Anywho, enough of that depressing shit. If we’re gonna be friends, I need to know what to call you. How about Fluffy?”

_ Meow!!!  _

The cat made an offended howl, hissing at him. Laughing, Levi rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I didn’t like it either. That stereotypical shit doesn’t suit you. What about Queen Mary? Like Bloody Mary?”

_ Meow. _

“No? Hmmm… Charles?” Another hiss. “Well you don’t look like a King Henry VIII.” A low growl. “Fine. Fine!”

It was quiet for the longest time as Levi thought. Every suggestion he had was meant with anger from the cat, and the teen couldn’t think of anything that suited it. He didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl, but from the names he had given, it had responded less negatively to the ‘female’ names and things that might be considered pretty. So he was going to go with the latter, regardless.

The sun was rising by the time he decided to give up and leave it be. He stood up from his place on the swing, stretching out stiff joints. His back popped, and he sighed as everything fell back into place. Levi had to get going if he was going to make it back into the orphanage without being caught. The cat had stood up with him, and it stretched as well, purring when he smiled down at it. 

A bird, startled from their sudden movements, bolted from the branch of a nearby tree, and Levi rose an eyebrow when the cat jumped and ran to hide behind it. He chuckled, a light going off in his head as realized the perfect name for the cat. Why hadn’t he thought of it sooner? He’d been practically staring at the tree all night.

Levi turned around, waving his hand to let the cat know not to follow him on the off chance it was going to. He could feel the familiar warmth of magic pool at his feet and his fingertips, but brushed it off when it fizzled out like always. He didn’t see the single bud appear on the branch and bloom, falling after a few seconds to land in front of the cat or the cat transform into a young girl with striking red hair. 

“Goodbye, Magnolia!” His voice was quiet, already off in the distance.

“Goodbye, Levi.” She smiled softly to herself. “See you tomorrow.”


	2. A Brother and His Sister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isabel comes home to a worried Eren.

Eren could feel a migraine coming on as he paced back and forth in front of the window in his little sister’s room. Despite their mother’s warning that something felt off and that neither of them should leave the house until her visions cleared up and the bad omens passed, Isabel had fallen back into her rebellious nature and had left sometime during the night. The brunet sighed, running his hands through his hair.  _ Of course she’d go exploring on our first night in town… _

When his father had first told him that the family was moving, he’d been pissed; the fifteen-year-old felt like his life was over. Eren had put so much effort into hiding his magic from everyone but his friend Armin- who was a warlock himself- and the fact that he couldn’t tell any of them exactly  _ why _ he was moving didn’t help the situation. The brunet had never been a good liar, so he had just chosen not to say anything. Needless to say, his human friends had been less than pleased with his silence, and after a couple of days, they had already started to drift away from him. 

The day they had packed the moving trucks, Mikasa had cried for the first time since her parents had passed away, and Armin had given him the saddest smile ever- like the blond boy was holding the weight of the world on his shoulders. He was the only one who knew the true reason why Eren was forced to leave, so as far as the two boys were concerned, he might as well   _ have _ been. 

According to Eren, Carla Yeager had woken up one night, drenched in sweat, her screams still echoing off the walls of her and Grisha’s bedroom. She had been inconsolable, searching the house top to bottom for her two children, refusing to let her husband calm her down. While she still couldn’t remember the premonition, the nagging feeling that Eren and Isabel were in danger didn’t go away, even after a week, and the two adults had chosen to leave the town as a precaution. The last time something similar happened was when Eren was nine, and Grisha and Carla had woken up to find him drenched in blood and magic, pulling a catatonic Mikasa behind him. 

They didn’t want to tempt fate.

It was the family’s first day in Trost, and even though Eren wanted to go out as much as his sister, his parents’ anxiety held him back. He knew that if he broke the trust they had in him, he would screw over his chance of returning to school before his mother’s visions stopped. Even though he could be hotheaded at times, he wasn’t  _ stupid _ . In a couple days, everything would settle down, and he’d bring up the fact that unlike Isabel, who was still undergoing training to control her magic, they really had no reason to keep him under house arrest. He’d promise to the stay on the down low; he’d be careful. If he left now, it would ruin his whole plan of guilting them into giving him his freedom. 

So Eren waited.

It was dawn by the time Isabel finally made it back, her feline form gracefully jumping from the tree branch outside her window into the second floor room. When she transformed back to herself, she was grinning wildly. Her face was tinged pink from the cold.

The older boy raised an eyebrow and shut the window before locking it. “I take it you had fun?”

She nodded, popping her back. “I did. There was a really funny boy I met at the park. He didn’t like me at first but I think I grew on him. He even ‘named’ me. Magnolia is such a pretty name too.”

Eren frowned. “What would a guy be doing out so late? And be careful. He could be a psychopath or something that kills strays.”

Isabel pouted, crossing her arms as she sat down on her bed. “Levi isn’t a psychopath; he’s a warlock like us.”

“Even more reason to be wary. Mom told us to stay away from other magic for a while.”

Isabel  shrugged. “But I was careful. He just thinks I’m a cat.”

Sighing, Eren sat down next to her and set his hand on her head. “I’m just worried Izzy. Mom and Dad are so certain something bad is gonna happen to us. And even though I know I have full control over my magic and can fully protect myself, you don’t yet. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you…” 

Affection for his little sister shone bright in his eyes, and the younger girl used that to her advantage. She knew what to say to get him off her back or guilt him into doing what she wanted. “Well just  _ trust  _ me then, Bro. I’m getting better with my magic every day I use it. Tonight really helped that.” The redhead winked. “Besides, he’s really cute.” 

Eren groaned and stood back up before walking  over to the door.. “If you’re right, he thinks you’re a cat. I would hope he wouldn’t try anything on that one fact alone.”

“I wasn’t talking about me, silly. I meant for you! He’s kinda short and pale and he has gorgeous eyes. Oh and he’s got a really nice a-.”

“Goodnight Izzy.” Isabel pouted at being cut off, and the brunet raised an eyebrow. “Get some rest before your training starts. Dad will know you were up to something if you come down looking like a zombie.”

The girl stuck her tongue out and the door shut quietly behind Eren as he left.


	3. A Father and his Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grisha and Eren have a talk

Levi sighed, pulling the window closed behind him as he crept back into his room. He didn’t bother trying to be quiet; due to the rumors surrounding his past and the fact that the other children were scared of him, the orphanage had been forced to give him his own little space to call home. It was a small little room, barely larger than a storage room or closet, but a window let warmth and light filter through without issue, and he was free to do with it whatever he pleased.

The sun had already risen fully by the time Levi  made it back, sleep finally tugging at his eyelids, and as per usual, his shivered despite being hot. Stay up always had a habit of leaving him feverish and groggy. His muscles ached, and he groaned as he slid into bed for a quick power nap before school, hoping that the poor soul that came to wake him up did so gently. 

~

It was already noon before Eren felt it necessary to head downstairs to make himself something to eat. While Isabel had training with their father first thing in the morning, he had all the time in the world to burn. Since his mother hadn’t yet signed him up for school, and his father and sister were busy going over drills and other lessons for her transfiguration, no one had bothered to make the teen get out of bed. 

After a good stretch, the brunet grabbed his phone from the nightstand and scrolled through his email and texts. As usual, there were a few in the group chat with Mikasa and Armin and a couple random ones from Jean. Eren quickly typed out a response to both before putting on a pair of pants and heading towards the kitchen. It smelled like oranges and he smiled when he saw Isabel scarfing down a bowl of them at the bar while his dad fixed the three of them some sandwiches. 

Grisha Yeager was a kind man with knowing eyes and a smile that meant the world to his two kids. Despite being a licensed pediatrician, he had spent the past couple of years as a stay at home dad while Carla pursued her dream as a bakery owner. While she had insisted that they could have both kept their careers, he decided in the end that teaching his youngest how to safely and responsibly wield her own magic was more important. 

“How’re the lessons going you two?” Eren grabbed one of Isabel’s already peeled oranges and shoved it into his mouth before she could argue, smirking at the utter look of betrayal on her face when she noticed it missing. 

Smiling, Grisha grabbed another one of her oranges while Isabel was focused on Eren and took a small bite. “They were going well until Izzy passed out trying to turn into a hamster. I thought she was just hungry but now I’m not so sure.” He raised an eyebrow when he noticed his daughter had drifted off to sleep again. “You know it’s strange for the two of you to be so subdued in the morning. Izzy isn’t a morning person, but you usually get up at the crack of dawn.”

Eren shrugged. “I slept in because I’m bored. Mom gets upset when I leave the house for more than two minutes, and there’s nothing here to do..” The brunet looked over at his sister, frowning. “And I have no friends here, so I see no point in making myself get up early to have more time to spend with them.”

Grisha’s eyes softened, and he sighed. “Look, Eren, I know you’re upset about moving, but it’s for the best that we did. Your mom is terrified of losing you two, and I am too to be frank.”

“I know, I know. But I’m not a little kid anymore, Dad. I’ve been in full control of my power for years.”

“And both of us are so proud of you for that, son.” When Eren tried to speak again he was cut off. “But that doesn’t make us any less worried. We’re your parents.” Grisha reached over to brush his hand through Isabel’s hair like when she was a little girl. “The second your mom says the threat is gone, we’ll go sign you up for classes.”

Shaking his head, Eren slumped in his seat. Since Isabel was clearly asleep- she wouldn’t have let their dad get away with that form of affection had she been awake- the brunet let his displeasure at being locked away shown in full force. “Do you guys at least have an idea when that will be? I’d really like to graduate high school before I’m thirty.”

The older man snorted. “You’re seventeen, Eren. Stop being such a drama queen.”

Eren rolled his eyes. “That didn’t answer my question, Dad.”

“Well your mom hasn’t had a vision in about a week so if it stays like that I’d give it another week or so. Maybe less if she can remember what the details are. Who knows, maybe it was that you’re gonna finally lose your virginity and her motherly heart couldn’t hand-.”

“ _ Dad _ !” The brunet hissed and covered Isabel’s ears. Thinking back to his and Isabel’s conversation about the warlock with the nice butt, Eren’s face and ears turned a deep red. “There are  _ children _ .” 

Grisha chuckled to himself and waved at the sandwiches on the counter beside him. After picking up one, he leaned over and kissed Isabel on the crown of her head and gripped Eren’s bicep firmly. “Take Izzy upstairs to sleep, would you? I’ll be in the basement if you need me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is being written right now. It'll be a flashback from Carla's POV!

**Author's Note:**

> Levi's magic type is Conjuration, and Izzy's is Transfiguration. 
> 
> As always please comment! It means so much to me, and helps me not lose interest! Have a great day ^^


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